Professor Ranita Chatterjee and her Harry Potter (ENGL 495HP) class. Photo by Charlie Kaijo/Daily Sundial.

On a daily basis, college students are encouraged to ask questions like “why” or “how.” At CSUN, unique courses like “The Supernatural” and “The Politics of Hip-Hop” take it even further.

“After awhile, you lose the magic from analyzing so much,” said CSUN English professor Ranita Chatterjee to Daily Sundial reporter Christina Pembleton. Chatterjee would know about magic — she’s teaching a course on Harry Potter.

Popular culture in the 21st century has become a common way for people to communicate with each other. Using films, television and the internet to create a reference point for people to have a common ground is a burgeoning field. And if Batman is involved, like it is in professor Shaun Cullen’s popular culture class ENGL 313, it’s now no different than having a discussion about Holden Caulfield.

For more: Unconventional Classes Spark Critical Thinking at CSUN [Daily Sundial]